This invention relates to oil mist lubricating systems and more particularly, to new and improved apparatus and systems for creating oil mist for use in mist lubricating systems.
Oil mist lubricating systems are well known systems for providing lubrication to a wide variety of bearing and surfaces which include anti-friction bearings, gears, slides, chains, slides and ways, and so forth. Typical applications include machine tools, spindles and gear cases and all high speed machine components.
In an oil mist lubricating system, an oil mist or aerosol is generated at a central location and carried through pipes to a point of use such as a bearing. In the operation of a mist lubricating system, it is typically a requirement to heat the air and to heat the oil supplied to the mist generator independently of one another before they are combined to create the mist form. This process, of course, requires separate sets of heating equipment and controls. The use of independent controls is both expensive and can lead to some iregularities in the generation of a mist.
In the present invention, it has been discovered that the separate functions of heating the air and oil can be combined and integrated into one system so that the relationship between the heating of the air and the oil is interdependent and inter-related.